Lubricating device



Apr-il 25, 1933. J. BLISS LUBRICATING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet, 1

Filed Sept. 8, 1928 mvlwrog num April 25, 1933. J. Buss 1,9055136LUBRICATING DEVICE Filed sept. s. 192s 2 sheets-sheet 2 INVENTORPatented Apr. 25, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE p. JOHN BLISS, orLoNDoN, ENGLAND,` AssIGNon To C. c. WAKEFIELD a COMPANY.

LIMITED, or LoNDoN, ENGLAND, A BRITISH COMPANY j LUBRICAT'ING DEVICEApplication led September 8, 1928, Serial No. 304,742, and in GreatVBritain November 30, 1927.

This invention consists in improvements in or relating to lubricatingdevices particularly for use with steam locomotives and other steamengines and of the type consisting 5 of a chamberfor containing thelubricant and another chamber communicating there-` valves are providedto control the appara-V tus, i. e. a main steam-inlet control valve foradmitting the steam to the condensing chamber, and a lubricant controlvalve for controlling -the flow of lubricant to the jets. These twovalves have hitherto been independently operable and it frequentlyhappens that the attendant will close the main steam valve and leave thelubricantvalve unolosed when the engine is not running, with aconsequent waste of lubricant.

An object of the present invention is to overcome this diiiculty, and inlubricating apparatus of the type above described hav- `ing twoindependent valves, there is provided, according to the presentinvention, aV

single valve-operating member in combination with means coupling it withboth the steam-inlet control valve and the lubricant control valvewhereby both valves are actuated by said single operating member. Theparts are preferably so constructed that as the operating member ismoved to open the valves, the steam-inlet control valve will be openedprior to the opening of the lubricant control valve so that, bythismeans, at the commencement of operations, the requisite amount ofsteam may be allowed to condense in the condensing chamber before it isrequired to begin lubrication.

In one example of the invention, the steam-inlet control Valve comprisesa main valve portion in association with a jockey valve, and means isinterposed between the valve-operating member and the steam-.inletcontrol valve whereby the jockey valveV is first opened during theinitial movement of the valve-operatingmember, and a further movement ofthe latter serves to open also the main steam valve portion and thelubricant control valve.

In order that the invention may be more clearly understood, onepreferred construction will now be described, as an example only, withthe aid of the accompanying drawings, in which Y Figure 1 is a sectionalelevation taken through the steam-condensingV and lubricant-containingchambers on the line Il--l of Figure 2; i

Figure 2 is a section on .v the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a section on the Figure 1, and

Figure 4 is a plan view of the apparatus shown in Figure 1.

Like reference numerals indicate like parts in the several figures ofthe drawings.

The lubricating apparatus shown is of well-known construction, and,brieiiy, com.- prises a steam-condensing chamber 10 at the upper end ofthe apparatus, and a lubricant-containing chamber 11 beneath it. Watercondensed from steam admitted to the chamber 10 passes by means of aconduit 12 past a non-return valve 13 and a manually-operable valve 14toa passage 15 formed in a core portion 16 extending throughthe "I0 line3- 3 of lubricant chamber 11. Y

The lubricant, which is floated on the water admitted through vthepassage 15, enters at 17 another passage 18 formed in the core portion16 and passes from the-lower ,end of the passage 418 to a rotary plugvalve 19, which is shown in the drawings in its closed' position. Thevalve 19 has in it .an .axial passage 20- with which communicates a 95transverse passage 21, which can be brought into and out from registerwith the lower end of the conduit 18. A second transverse passage '22,which also communicates with the passage 20 and is arranged atrightangles to the passage 21, serves to connect the passage 2O withanother passage 23 (Fig ure l) leading to the lubricant jets 24. It willbe seen, from a consideration of the drawings, that when the valvepassage 21 is closed to the passage 18, the passage 22 is also closed tothe passage 23, and vice versa.

The communication between the passage 23 and each of the lubricantjets24 is controlled lby the valve 25, and all the valves 25 can be manuallyadjusted. The jets 24 discharge upwardly into passages 26 and, as willbe seen in Figure 3, these passages, at their upper end, are bent overhorizontal- 1y and in the horizontal portion4 thej each communicate withanother passage 2., into which steam is admitted in a manner to bedescribed later. The oil is discharged lrom the horizontal portion ofthe passages 26 into conduits 28 leading respectively to the parts .tobe lubricated.

In accordance with the present invention, steam is led from the boilerto the chamber 10 through a conduit 30, and the passage of the steam iscontrolled by means of a main valve 31 and a jockey valve 32 seatedwithin an axial passage formed in the main valve portion 31. Atransverse rock-shaft 33 situated below the valve 31, 32 has secured toit a main operating handle 34 by which it can be rocked. On therock-shaft and beneath the valve is fixed a cam 35 so shaped that thefirst portion of its movement will raise the jockey valve 32 from itsseating in the main valve, and a further movementwill cause both thejockey valve 32 and the main valve portion 31 to be raised together. Theflow of steam past the jockey valve, when that alone is raised, isrelatively restricted, whereas when both the jockey valve and the mainvalve portion are open, a relatively unrestricted flow of steam occursinto the chamber 10.

Securedto the spindle of the valve 19 is a crank-arm 36, andinterconnecting the main operating member 34 and the crank-arm 36 isalink member 37 pivotally connected to both the operating memberv and thecrankarm.

TheV construction and arrangement of the parts is such that during thefirst movement of the main operating member 34, which will result inraising the jockey valve 32 only from its seat, the correspondingturning movement imparted through the link 37 and crank-arm 36 to thevalve 19 will not turn the valve sufficiently to establish communicationY between they passage 22 in the valve and the passage 23 leading to thelubricant jets, so that although the jockey valve is opened to admitsteam to the chamber 10, the flow of lubricantto the jets 24 is stillshut off. When, however, the main operating member is moved further sothat the cam 35 raises both the jockey valve 32 and the main valvemember 31, the valve 19 opens communication between the passages 18 and21 and the passages 22 and 23 respectively.

It will be seen that the valve 31, 32 coni trois the admission oi steamto the passages 27, and the steam passing down these passages into thehorizontal portions of the passages 26 serves to force oil into theparts to be lubricated. y Y

It will be appreciated that not only does lthe admission of steam to theapparatus en- 'In order toindicate ithe position of the,

valves, an indicator-arm 38 secured also to the rock-shaft 33 traversesa scale 39.0n which the various positions can be clearly marked.Conveniently, a spring-pressed detent 4() will snap into a recess'41when the operating member 34 has been moved tofa position in which thejockey valve only is open. The attendant is thus given al clearindication when hehas moved the operating member to theveXtent requiredto open the jockey valve onlyv without-thenecessity of actuallyobserving. the position of the indicator-arm; For the fully-open andfully-closed positions of the valves, the arm 38 can be arranged toengage iixed stops at the ends of the scale member 39. Y

Itis thought unnecessary to refer in further detail tothe constructionof the lubricating apparatus as a whole, because this is of a well-knowntype, but it mayfbementioned that there is provided, as usual, a plug 42closing the lubricant-filling orifice; a dis: charge-control valvev 43for discharging the water from the chamber 11 when the lubri- Vcanthasall beenexpelled, and the usual 2. Lubricating apparatus of the kindspecified, comprising in combination a lubricant chamber, a steamchamber communicating therewith, means to pass condensate from the steamchamber to the lubricant chamber, a steam-inlet control valve for thesteam chamber, said valve comprising a main valve portion and a jockeyvalve, an outlet control valve for the lubricant chamber, a singleoperating member, and coupling means operatively connecting saidoperating member with the inlet and outlet control valves so thatmovement of the operating member serves to open the jockey valve priorto the main inlet valve portion and the outlet valve aforesaid.

3. Lubricating apparatus of the kind specied, comprising in combinationa lubricant chamber, a steam chamber communicating therewith, means topass condensate from the steam chamber to the lubricant chamber, asteam-inlet control valve for the steam chamber, said valve comprising amain valve portion and a jockey valve, an outlet control valve for thelubricant chamber, a single operating member, and coupling meansoperatively connecting said operating member with the inlet and outletcontrol valves so that movement of the operating member serves to openthe jockey valve prior to the main inlet valve portion and the outletvalve aforesaid, and vsubsequently to open the main inlet valve portionand the outlet valve together.

4. Lubricating apparatus of the kind specified, comprising incombination a lubricant chamber, a steam chamber communicatingtherewith, means to pass condensate romthe steam chamber to thelubricant chamber, a steam-inlet control valve for the steam chamber, arotary type outlet control valve for the lubricant chamber, a singleoperating member comprising a rock-shaft operatively connected with theinlet and outlet control valves in such manner that the rock-shaft andoutlet valve are rotatable simultaneously, and a cam actuated by said"rock-shaft for controlling the movements of' the said steam-inletcontrol valve.

5. Lubricating apparatus of the kind specified, comprising incombination a lubricant chamber, a. steam chamber communicatingtherewith, means to pass condensate from the steam chamber' to thelubricant chamber7 a steam-inlet control valve for the steam chamber, arotary type outlet control valve for the lubricant chamber, a singleoperating member comprising a rock-shaft operatively connected with theinlet and outlet control valves in such manner that the rock-shaft andoutlet valve are rotatable simultaneously, and a cam mounted on saidrock-shaft to control the movements of the said steaminlet controlvalve.

6. Lubricating apparatus of the kind specified comprising in combinationa lubricant chamber, a! steam chamber communicating therewith, means topass condensate from the steam chamber to the lubricant chamber, asteam-inlet control valve for 'the steam chamber, a rotary type outletcontrol valve for the lubricant chamber, a single operating member, anda single valve-operating member comprising a rock-shaft, linksoperatively connecting the rock-shaft with the outlet control valvewhereby Vthe rock-shaft andvalve are rotatable together, and a camactuated' bysaid rock-shaft for controlling the movements of the saidsteam-inlet control valve.

7. Lubricating apparatusl of' the kind specified comprising' incombination a lubricant chamber', a steam chamber communicatingtherewith, means to pass condensate from the steam chamber to thelubricant chamber, a steam-inlet control valve for the steam chamber, anoutlet control valve for the lubricant chamber, and a single operatingmember coupled with both valves so that they are both movablesimultaneously by said member, said outlet valve being of such form thatduring the first portion of its movement it fails to open whereby thesteam inlet valve is opened prior to the said outlet valve.

8. Lubricating apparatus of thekind specified, comprising` incombination a lubricant chamber, a steam chamber communicatingtherewith, means to pass condensate from the steam chamber to thelubricant chamber, a steam-inlet control valve for the steam chamber, arotary type outlet-control valve for the lubricant chamber, and a singleoperating member coupled with both valves so that they arebothsimultaneously movable thereby, the passages in the valve andvalvecasing of the said outlet valve being so dimensioned and arrangedthat during the first portion of the movement of the valve, it fails toopen.

9. Lubricating apparatus of the kind specified comprising in combinationa lubricant chamber, a steam chamber, a passage connectingr the lowerend of said steam chamber with the lower end of the lubricant chamber, asteam-inlet control valve for the steam chamber comprising a main valveportion having a passage therethrough, a jockey valve controlling saidpassage, a rotary type outlet control valve for the lubricant chamber,a. single operating member comprising a rock-shaft, a cam on saidrock-shaft so shaped as to open the jockey valve during the firstportion of its movement and thereafter to open the main valve portion,an

operative connection between said rock-shaft and said outlet controlvalve whereby the latter commences to rotate immediatelyv the rock-shaftis rotated, the passages in theV valve and casing of the said outletcontrol valve being so dimensioned and arranged that the valve fails toopen during the rst movement of the rook-shaft and commences to open atapproximately the same time that the main steam inlet valve portionopens.

10. Lubricating apparatus of f the kind specieol comprising incombination a lubricant chamber, a steam chamber communieatingtherewith, means to pass condensate from the steam chamber to thelubricant chamber, a Steam inlet control valve for the steam chamber, anoutlet control Valve for the lubricant chamber and a single operatingmeans which aetuates both valves and is set in relation to the valvesthat the steam Valve may when desired by actuation of the singleoperating means be opened Without opening the valve for the lubricantchamber.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

JOHN BLISS.

